Therion
by Baou Zakerga156
Summary: It was dark. That's all I have known for the past 3 years. Ever since that day, I lost my only friend. Since then, I was showered in darkness. Fighting for every second to survive. I learned that day that all this world cared about was the suffering of the innocent. I refuse to allow such a world to exist. I will feast on this world and make it suffer as I have.
1. Chapter 1

**Freedom's Cry**

 **I don't own Naruto or the Tales series.**

* * *

 _In the depths of despair, only two things mattered to me._

 _The taste of blood soaked-flesh and revenge on those men._

 _My world came to an end._

 _And for three long years, I sat in a pit of darkness… and fed._

 _Devouring monsters… so I could live._

 _So I could live long enough to kill them and be her vengeance._

* * *

A steel ladder fell down into the cell as Asuka gently floated down into the dark and damp cell. Taking a few cautious steps forward, she scanned the darkness for the sight of her target. A glowing red eye appeared in the darkness as the person it belonged to yelled in anger as they rushed her, pinning her against the ladder with one of their bandaged arms. The arm caught on fire and the person roared in pain as they staggered away from Asuka. Flicking her wrist, Asuka created several fireballs that illuminated the cell to show its only occupant.

It was a boy of about eleven years of age with blond hair that went down to his mid back wearing heavily torn and dirty clothes. His face had three whisker-like marks on each cheek while bandages were wrapped around one side of his head to reveal the single blue eye glaring at her.

"Where are they?" demanded the boy.

"First, a test," said Asuka as she got into a fighting stance, "To see if you're worth of teaching."

The boy charged in with some furious kicks before he noticed something off with Asuka. Breaking off his attack, he relaxed his stance a little but remained on guard.

"Why are you holding back?" demanded the boy.

"You noticed," commended Asuka as she got out of her fighting stance, "You passed."

She pulled a small box out of her pocket then went up to the boy.

"Relax," said Asuka as she took a quick step back to avoid the boy's foot, "It's something you'll actually need to get out."

She got close to the boy before opening the box, removing the eye inside then placing it in the socket hidden behind the boy's hair with extreme care. Blinking several times, the boy tried to get used to the new feeling of the eye before he began to see shapes and colors out of it.

"Now, I will tell you what has happened these past three years," said Asuka as she walked off to the side, "Velvet has been looking for you ever since you were taken. The Hokage has sent out dozens of ANBU looking for-"

"Tell me where Itachi and that man are," demanded the boy with a scowl.

"Itachi was forced to do what he did," explained Asuka, "His clan was planning a coup of the village and he was ordered to kill his entire clan."

"Tell me where they both are now," demanded the boy a little more forcefully.

"It was on the orders of Danzo Shimura, an advisor to the Hokage, that Itachi did what he did," said Asuka as she turned to the boy, "But that man that was there with Itachi is far stronger than you know. You've heard of Madara Uchiha, yes?"

"He's the man who was the co-founder of Konoha," said the boy, "What of it?"

"That man was Madara Uchiha," said Asuka, "He's been manipulating everything for years and is the reason why Izumi was killed."

"Tell me where he is," said the boy as he clenched his fists.

"You'd most likely find him in Amegakure," said Asuka, "But there is one thing you should do first."

The boy then began walking toward the ladder without a word with Asuka watching him.

"You won't stop to listen?" she asked, "I could tell you what it was you saw that night, Naruto."

Naruto stopped as he thought about that night three years ago. A black and golden light flying into the crimson colored sky. The sight of blood and dead bodies. And her… begging for Itachi to help them. He covered his right eye at that thought before he lowered his head.

"What is a jinchūriki?" he questioned Asuka.

"They are people that hold one of the nine Biju inside of them," said Asuka, "You are the jinchūriki of the Kyuubi."

"The one that attacked Konoha and killed my parents," said Naruto depressingly.

"You know about your real parents?" asked Asuka in quiet surprise.

"I've had a lot of time to think about stuff," said Naruto as he took a deep breath, "What does Madara want with the jinchūriki?"

"I don't know," said Asuka, "But if you want to stop him, you must find the other jinchūriki and devour them so you contain each of the Biju inside of you."

Naruto placed a hand on his stomach and closed his eyes.

"That night, you became something you were never meant to," said Asuka, "You became a daemon. A creature created by the negative emotions of either hatred, despair, greed, conceit, obsession, lust, cowardice, and selfishness. You, in particular, were created from hatred and despair and became a therion."

"I could care less," said Naruto as he placed one hand on the ladder.

Asuka sighed and held up two fingers, a light appearing at the tips of them. She then swept her hand aside and what appeared to be a barrier above them shattered.

"I've cracked your yoke," said Asuka as Naruto began climbing, "We must hurry."

Following Naruto, they climbed out of the cell and ran down a hall.

"You need some equipment," said Asuka as they ran up some stairs, "There are some things in the room ahead."

Putting on a little more speed, they came to a door at the end of another long hallway and opened it to find a pair of bodies on the ground. Casually stepping over them, Naruto began opening several crates and chests while looking for supplies.

"It would appear that this is where they kept the effects of prisoners," remarked Asuka before Naruto tossed her a rope.

Moving some boxes aside, Naruto came across a rather large sword. Unsheathing it a little, Naruto examined his reflection. Staring back at him was a Sharingan that quickly faded back to his natural blue eye as well as the black eye that Asuka had given him.

"That's a nice sword," said Asuka, "I think its name is Stormquell."

"Well, it's too big for either of us to use," said Naruto as he sheathed the sword then tossed it aside.

Opening a chest, he finally found clothes his size but there was a problem with them.

"Are you kidding me?" asked Naruto aloud in annoyance as he gazed at the female clothes that he had just found.

"Those are the only ones that will fit you," stated Asuka as Naruto put the clothes on.

Attaching a gauntlet blade to his right arm before putting on a pair of boots that each had a blade hidden in them, Naruto examined himself before flexing his hands.

"I'll make some adjustments when I can," he said before fixing the collar.

"What are you doing in here?" questioned a guard behind them before Naruto sliced his neck open with a swing of his gauntlet blade, the blood spray splattering all over him.

"You didn't even flinch," stated Asuka.

"I've been around death so much these past three years that something like this is nothing to me," said Naruto as he wiped the blood from his face, "Is there a ship waiting?"

"So, you noticed we're on an island," said Asuka in understanding.

"I know we're on an island prison in Mizu no Kuni and a couple miles from Mizugakure," said Naruto, "I've also learned that this is where they lock up daemons," He clenched his left hand at this, "They really do spout a lot of information when you eat them."

"This island has docks at the front and back entrances," revealed Asuka, "Our ship is at the back entrance."

Naruto remained silent then started walking again. Heading down a hall then taking a left and heading up some stairs, the stopped when they heard footsteps coming from the room they were about to enter. Quickly hiding outside the doorway, they heard the guards walking by and having a conversation. Naruto wasn't really paying attention until he heard two particular lines.

"The path that goes under the watchtower?" asked one of the guards, "That's alright. Nobody uses it anyway."

"True," said the other guard, "But it was a nice shortcut to the docks."

This peaked his interest as another guard ran up to those two and let them know that a number of guards were missing. They then split up between the front and back entrances before Naruto and Asuka entered the room.

"That complicates matters," stated Asuka.

"Where are the cells located?" asked Naruto.

"They're on this floor," said Asuka as she turned to him, "You're going to get the prisoners involved?"

"As long as it gets us out, I don't care what I have to do," said Naruto as he folded his arms.

The headed toward the cells then stopped at a door that led to them.

"There are two guards inside," said Asuka cautiously, "We need to be careful about how we do this."

Naruto ran inside and ran one guard through the chest with his gauntlet blade before using the blades hidden in his boots to decapitate the second one. He then went up to one of the three doors inside the room to gaze at all the sealed cells in the block.

"Listen up!" yelled Naruto as he went over to each of the other doors, "I'm going to unlock the cells and we're going to get out of here! Split into two groups and rush the front and rear gates! Just beyond them are ships that we're going to use to get off the island!"

There were several prisoners that voiced their opposition to the plan and Naruto took an angry breath.

"If you want to rot in here, then rot!" he yelled, "But I will devour those that don't even try to escape!"

The voices that disagreed were suddenly replaced by roars of agreement and Naruto nodded at Asuka. Swiping her hand aside, Asuka broke the seals on all the cells and cell door blocks with what seemed to be dozens of prisoners, daemon and human alike, rushing out of the cell blocks and making their way out.

"Now, to the watchtower," said Naruto calmly as he headed for the exit.

"You're going to leave them all to their fate?" questioned Asuka, getting Naruto to stop in his tracks.

"I'll use anyone as long as I get out of here myself," said Naruto as he left and Asuka went after him.

After exiting the wing, Naruto paused as he felt something approaching. Extending his gauntlet blade, Naruto spun around to slice the woman that had snuck up on him and Asuka. Jumping back from them, Naruto took in the sight of the woman's ridiculous pink, purple, and black outfit as well as her outrageous hat.

"What is WRONG with you people?" questioned the woman as she turned and took several steps away from Naruto and Asuka, "There I was, sleeping like a sweet babe, when suddenly… From paradise down to hell! No, worse! A grimy prison cell."

"I remember you," recalled Naruto vaguely, "You're hahaue's friend, Magilou. You put on a show three years ago in the market."

"That's right!" exclaimed Magilou as she smiled and ruffled Naruto's hair playfully, "You still as cute as you were back then!"

"What are you doing here?" asked Asuka.

"I am doing a favor for Velvet," said Magilou as she pulled Naruto's head into her bosom then hugged it tightly, "She had me set out three years ago for this little guy. I promised to bring him back safely."

Naruto shoved Magilou away and scowled at her.

"The only place I'm going is to Amegakure," said Naruto as he turned away from Magilou, "If you insist on trying to stop me, I'll eat you."

Walking out, Asuka followed and caught up to him.

"That was very rude," said Asuka as they went up some stairs.

"Like I care," said Naruto angrily, "I've been in here for the past three years so forgive me if my manners are a little lax."

Asuka stopped him when they heard blades hitting against each other. Peering out around a corner, they saw a man that seemed to be in his thirties standing over the bodies of several guards and daemons. He had long, spiky black hair with armor going down from his right shoulder to his hand.

"More?" asked the man as he turned around to face Naruto and Asuka, revealing the black pattern on his face as well as the glowing red eye.

"That man," said Asuka, "He's a yasha. A war god."

Naruto charged forward and gauntlet blade met the man's knives. The man looked into Naruto's eyes and raised an eyebrow.

"How long have you been here?" asked the man.

"Three years," said Naruto emotionlessly as he pushed the man back with strength someone his age shouldn't have.

Asuka watched in surprise as Naruto effortlessly fought the man off before the man noticed Naruto's stance.

"I didn't catch your name," said the man.

"Naruto," said Naruto calmly, "Naruto Crowe."

"Crowe?" questioned the man as he relaxed his stance, "Any relation to Velvet Crowe?"

"You know hahaue?" asked Naruto curiously.

"Hahaue?" chuckled the man, "I didn't know Velvet finally found someone."

"I was adopted," said Naruto in annoyance.

"Adopted or not, Velvet would kill me if I hurt her family," said the man, "You wouldn't happen to have seen a giant sword laying around here, have you?"

"There's one down in the armory near that pit of a cell," said Naruto as the man rushed by.

"What an odd person," remarked Asuka before she and Naruto ran down a hall.

Breaking down doors and climbing up ladders, Naruto and Asuka arrived at the top of the tower. The rain poured hard down on them as they stared into the dark and stormy sea. Asuka gazed around and saw no way off the top of the tower.

"Let's go back down," said Asuka, "Your ability is limited to devouring daemons. If you jump from this height you won't survive."

Hearing footsteps behind them, Asuka waved her arm, shutting the door and sealing it. Ignoring Asuka's voice, Naruto gazed at the distance and depth he'd have to jump. Quickly calculating the math, Naruto clenched his fists.

"This is nothing compared to how far she fell that night," said Naruto as the bandages on his arms and legs warped into daemon claws along with nine wavy tails appearing just above his rump.

Breaking into a run, Naruto launched himself as far as he could. Grabbing onto the rock face of the cliff while upside down, he quickly descended as his claws couldn't get a good grip. He yelled in pain as his shoulders hit a protruding rock, dislocating his shoulders. The resulting impact made Naruto let go of the cliff and tumbled onto the broken muddy path. His claws and tails returned to normal as Naruto tried to push himself up but found that he couldn't move his arms. Grunting, Naruto used his legs to push himself against the cliff and to his feet.

 _"You're that determined…"_ thought Asuka before she quickly let the seal on the door vanish as she vanished in a wisp of flames.

* * *

Naruto looked at both his shoulder as his arms hung limply to the side. He made the mistake of letting his shoulder graze the stone wall and grunted loudly in pain. Asuka then appeared behind him, placing her hands gently onto his shoulders. Naruto remained silent as Asuka healed him while also recalling that he had done something similar to Velvet when she had been straining herself.

"You're very strong," remarked Asuka, "It's like a covenant."

"Covenant?" questioned Naruto.

"The rite of restraining your words and actions to obtain special powers," explained Asuka, "The more restraints you put on yourself, the stronger the power you acquire."

"So, it's like a curse," said Naruto as before walking along the dirt road, "Let's go."

Asuka silently followed before they both stopped when the sound of a bell came across the ocean. Asuka looked out to sea and saw a large ship approaching.

"That banner…" she said in disbelief, "The Mizukage is coming."

 _Play "Velvet's Theme" from Tales of Beseria OST_

"So, the Sanbi has come to try and stop me," said Naruto solemnly, "What a fool."

"Our journey is about to be far more difficult," stated Asuka plainly, "These guards and daemons are nothing compared to a Kage that's also a jinchūriki. Will you still fight and push forward?"

"That goes without saying," replied Naruto in the same tone as they started walking again.

 _"These feelings that those men have invoked in you,"_ thought Asuka with concern, _"Will they bring hope to this world? Or will it spread Malevolence across the land?"_

 _End "Velvet's Theme" from Tales of Beseria OST_

After several minutes of silence, the pair had managed to get to a beach and Naruto lowered his head a little.

 **(Flashback)**

"I'm back, Naruto," said Velvet as she came back from getting groceries.

When Naruto didn't answer, Velvet looked at the couch to find that the 5 year old was looking at one of his books.

"What'cha looking at?" she asked as she came over to him after dropping off the groceries onto the counter.

"A book about the ocean," replied Naruto as Velvet made a mental note to teach Naruto how to read.

After looking at the pictures for a while, Naruto closed the book.

"Kaa-chan, can we go to the ocean?" he asked.

"Where did this come from?" asked Velvet as Naruto opened the book up to a picture of a sunset.

Velvet noticed the look in Naruto's eyes before sighing heavily.

"When I get enough free time, we can go," said Velvet before she took the book from Naruto, "Now, go wash up for dinner."

"Okay," said Naruto as he ran off to the bathroom.

 **(End Flashback)**

Naruto peered down at Yagura, who was accompanied by quite a number of ninja from Mizugakure.

"Yagura…" said Asuka as she vanished in a wisp of flames that appeared just a couple yards from the Mizukage.

"It is you, Asuka," said Yagura calmly.

"I never would've expected the Sanbi jinchūriki to come here himself," replied Asuka.

"The Kyuubi Jinchūriki is here so of course I came," said Yagura, "However, I never expected to see a malak like you free them."

"He was kidnapped from his home and has a family waiting for him to return," said Asuka in slight fear as she felt a rather large amount of killer intent from Yagura.

Jumping down, Naruto landed next to Asuka then glared at Yagura.

"Weren't you supposed to be a boy?" questioned Yagura when he noticed Naruto's clothes.

"Weren't you supposed to have hit puberty already?" shot back Naruto seriously, "I'm taking that ship and bringing down Madara and Itachi Uchiha. If you get in my way, your body is going to be at the bottom of the ocean."

The ninja with Yagura got ready to charge when Yagura held his hand out to stop them.

"Your words deserve certain death," said Yagura.

Several streams of water shaped like dragons flew at Naruto and Asuka but never reached as they had hit a glowing yellow ribcage. Yagura raised an eyebrow slightly at this as the steam cleared and he got a look at the red eye with a spiral pattern in it.

"Sharingan?" he asked with suspicion as the Susanoo faded away.

Yagura removed his club from his back and glared at Naruto.

"You leaving here is something my village cannot afford," said Yagura as Naruto picked up a broken brick off the floor, "You are daemon but you're still a jinchūriki. So, let me pay my respects…"

He was cut off by the sheer shock of the brick Naruto had thrown grazing his cheek and striking one of his ninja in the head. The ninja flew into the ocean but his body didn't surface.

"I'll remember that you're an insolent daemon," said Yagura as he began to slowly walk toward the pair, "As the Mizukage of Kirigakure, I will subdue you."

He then broke into a run with blinding speed and swiped his club at the pair, missing by mere inches. He noticed Naruto and Asuka behind him and Asuka was shocked at how fast Naruto had dodged Yagura's club by flipping into the air at that instant. His sword extending from his gauntlet, Naruto landed and began a fury of swings and parries with Yagura.

 _"Incredible,"_ thought Asuka, _"How did he get this strong in just three years?"_

The blades in Naruto's boots extended and he finally started pushing Yagura back. Thrusting the sharp hook of his club forward, Naruto fell backward and turned as one of the swords in his boots deflected the club. Seeing his chance, Naruto assumed his therion form and swiped at Yagura but missed. Naruto watched in shock before he shielded himself from the large dragon made of water that sent him flying into the ocean with a loud splash. To Yagura's surprise, Naruto jumped out of the water in his human form and landed on his feet several yards from Yagura.

"You are definitely a jinchūriki with that much persistence," commended Yagura, "But as long as I'm here, you cannot win. Your ferocity almost made me forget why I'm here. I didn't come all this way to kill you. You will return to the prison."

Naruto hung his head as he remembered that frozen look that scarred his mind.

"I survived for the sole purpose of killing those men," stated Naruto, "Devouring daemons and humans day in and day out for whatever reason there is."

"If you resent that, you're wrong," said Yagura, "That is your duty. The world has deemed it so."

"The same way it deemed my precious friend would be sacrificed along with her family?!" yelled Naruto as his eyes became red with slits in them.

"Yes," said Yagura calmly.

"A world that took someone's life in exchange is unforgivable," said Naruto as he looked up at the raining sky, "Whatever happens to this world… A world that was built on sacrificing Izumi," Red, black, and golden energy flowed wildly around Naruto with everyone struggling to maintain their footing, "I will never forgive it!"

A roar echoed overhead and drew everyone's attention to the dragon that had been watching them. It flew around the island and everyone watched it.

"A dragon?!" asked Asuka in disbelief.

"It must've sensed all the negative emotion coming from this place," he then looked at Naruto and raised an eyebrow, _"Could he have called it here unconsciously?"_

The dragon started heading down and Yagura gritted his teeth.

"Shoot it down!" he yelled.

The ninja shot relentless Water Dragon Jutsu at the dragon but the dragon brushed them aside. Landing on the pier, the dragon began grabbing the ninja in its mouth and devoured them before taking off and leaving only three remaining.

"Damn that daemon," said Yagura as he gritted his teeth.

"I can't believe that's a daemon," said Asuka.

Naruto watched the dragon closely as Yagura attacked it with a Lightning jutsu but the dragon didn't even seem phased by the attack. The dragon then landed on one of the two ships that were docked and smashed it to pieces. Taking note of the malevolence the dragon was giving off, Naruto silently calculated his odds before he felt a familiar presence behind him.

"Who is it that roused me from my pleasant nap?" questioned Magilou in annoyance, "What? Not even an apology?"

Naruto paid no attention to her and both of them watched Yagura and the other ninja fight the dragon.

"You people…" said Magilou as she slouched over, dejected, "You interrupted my restful sleep," her mood then suddenly picked up, "I went from paradise to hell!"

Brushing off what he saw as annoying chatter, Naruto noticed that Yagura and the ninja were holding down the dragon with a barrier.

"Hear me!" exclaimed Magilou joyfully, "I have traveled the world and more! Dragons are trifle to me… the great sorceress!"

Naruto began walking and Magilou got upset at this.

"H-Hey, where are you going?!" she asked as Naruto started to jog.

"I'm going to steal the ship and escape while I can," replied Naruto, "If the ship gets damaged, I won't be able to get off this island."

The dragon broke through the barrier as the other ninja passed out from exhaustion.

 _"Damn it,"_ thought Yagura angrily, _"I may actually have to use Isobu's power if this keeps going on."_

The dragon noticed Naruto heading for the ship and turned toward him. Naruto spun around then glared at the dragon.

"It's about time I have a feast," said Naruto with a scowl.

He ran around the dragon's lunging maw to the other side before it fired a large blast of highly compressed air at him. Naruto shielded himself as he was pushed back before the dragon knocked the wind out of him with a strong headbutt. Hacking before he went flying back, Naruto barely managed to land on his feet as he coughed up some blood while falling to his knees. The dragon walked up to Naruto, who froze at the sight of his own blood. Asuka hurried forward as fast as she could while teleporting forward in wisps of flame to move faster. As the dragon went in for the kill, a fiery dome of energy covered Naruto and Asuka, who was the caster of the barrier.

"Naruto Crowe," said Asuka seriously as the dragon tried to break through the barrier, "There is only one way to get out of this predicament and get Madara and Itachi," she looked over her shoulder and into Naruto's eyes, "I'm going to gamble my life on you!"

"What?" whispered Naruto.

The dragon roared with four spears of what seemed like crystal materializing around it.

"What do you mean?" questioned Naruto as he got to his feet.

The dragon's claws broke through the barrier and the crystals flew at Naruto. Asuka got between the two just as the dragon fired another burst of air from its mouth, sending the pair flying into the prison. The dragon then made to go after them when it was struck in the head by a blast of magic.

"What a problem," said Magilou as one of her cards spun over her index finger while the dragon turned to her, "Even after all these years, I still don't know how to move a ship. So, I can't let you devourer it."

Rokurou jumped down from the cliff above and severed one of the dragon's horns with his knives.

"Hey, Rokurou!" called out Magilou as she waved to him, "It's been a while! Can you help me with this dragon?!"

"You haven't changed," said Rokurou playfully before turning to the dragon.

* * *

Getting over the pain in his back, Naruto sat up but went wide eyed when he saw the state Asuka was in. She had two of the crystals going through her back and out the front. Naruto began shaking as that night three years ago flashed through his mind.

"Why?" he asked.

"It's all to bring down Madara," said Asuka with great strain in her voice as the crystals disappeared, "Please, devourer me."

"What are you saying?!" demanded Naruto.

"I am bound by a covenant by which I must offer my life," explained Asuka weakly as blood poured out from the fatal wounds, "Devourer me an acquire my strength… strength to move forward."

Getting to his feet, Naruto held his hand out to her.

"Why go this far?" he asked before Asuka held up her own with all the strength she could muster.

"Remember that you have people waiting for you," said Asuka as a comb appeared in her hand.

"The comb I wanted to get hahaue," said Naruto as he took the comb to examine it.

"Hurry… before my life runs out," said Asuka as Naruto put the comb away.

Turning into his daemon form, Naruto grabbed Asuka by the head with a claw.

"I won't thank you or apologize," stated Naruto plainly.

"There's no need," replied Asuka as he visor shattered, revealing her violet eyes.

Naruto, having only seen them once before long ago, went wide eyed with shock as he realized who Asuka was.

"I cherished those days…" said Asuka as she cried, "When Minato and I… looked forward… to meeting you… and your sister."

Gritting his teeth, Naruto roared in anger as he absorbed Asuka in a wisp of flames. All of Asuka's memories flew into Naruto's mind as tears streamed down his cheeks from his angry eyes. Staggering back, Naruto covered his right eye with the comb as he felt countless emotions he hadn't felt in a long time. A small ring appeared hovering in the air and Naruto grabbed it with one of his claws.

* * *

"This is… not good," said the exhausted Magilou as she and Rokurou were on the losing end of the battle with the dragon.

Hearing someone running out from the prison, everyone, including the dragon looked just in time to see a stream of flame that sent the dragon staggering back. Everyone looked through the smoke to see Naruto standing there with a glare on his face.

"That power…" said Yagura in disbelief, "No way! You devoured… Asuka?!"

"Why should this world be happy when I suffer?!" yelled Naruto as he shot forward and slapped the dragon's head up with a huge amount of force.

Everyone watched in shock as Naruto got the dragon on its hind legs.

"Envy Slap!" declared as he brought his hand down on the dragon's neck, shattering the pier with ease.

Yelling, Naruto began absorbing the dragon when a bolt of lightning struck him in the back.

"Don't hold it against me," said Yagura as he pointed his club at Naruto, "But I can't let a monster like you go out into the world."

"Naruto…" said Naruto to Yagura's confusion, "That's my name. Give the entire world this message," he began pulling the dragon into him and put out even more power, "I am Naruto Crowe! Daemons, malaks, humans… I will devourer them all! I am… the Lord of Calamity!"

A black, gold, and red energy exploded around Naruto and caused an actual explosion.

 **(Three Hours Later)**

Rokurou sailed the ship in the early morning dawn and partially cloudy skies while Magilou sat up in the crow's nest.

"The wind is picking up," he said as he looked up at the crow's nest, "Where too?!"

"Anywhere that Velvet could be is fine with me!" called out Magilou, "I wouldn't want her to get split ends because of me."

Down below, Naruto was currently getting some well deserved rest in a bed for the first time in three years. In one of his bandaged hands, he held the comb that Asuka had given him. And for the first time in three years, he dreamed pleasant dreams as the boat rocked him deeper into sleep while the ship headed for the mainland.


	2. Chapter 2

**Homeward Bound**

 **I don't own Naruto or Tales of Berseria.**

* * *

Naruto stepped out onto the deck and went out to the bow. He watched as Magilou watched some merchants load supplies onto the ship. Jumping onto the pier, he went next to Magilou and folded his arms.

"How are we looking on supplies?" he asked.

"Well, due to my natural charm and charisma, I was able to get us about two weeks of supplies," said Magilou proudly.

"And where's Rokurou?" questioned Naruto.

"He's hiding in one of the cabins," said Magilou, "It probably wouldn't be a good idea for him to show his face around them."

Naruto pulled a ribbon out of Magilou's bag and walked toward town.

"Where are you going?!" called out Magilou.

"To find a place to wash up!" called back Naruto as he put his hair up in a ponytail.

Magilou sighed in annoyance before putting her hands behind her head.

"That boy is just like Velvet," said Magilou before she went back to watching the supplies get loaded onto the ship.

* * *

Naruto walked into a bathhouse and, deciding not to argue with the person at the front desk, he went into the empty girls' side to quickly get washed up. As he washed his hair, Naruto combed out his hair with the comb Asuka had left him.

 _"Sister…"_ he thought seriously, _"I… had a sister."_

Finishing up, he dried off then got dressed before leaving. He then headed to the market to look around. Stopping at a stall, he looked at what they had out before picking large device that seemed to be on a gyroscope.

"What's this thing?" he wondered aloud.

"It's a compass," said a feminine voice behind him.

Turning around, Naruto saw a young girl of about 10 with waist length red hair and a round face that had lime green eyes. She wore a white and red fluffy outfit with a large collar around her neck and a bell on the front.

"You use it to determine the direction you're going on a ship," said the girl emotionlessly

Naruto looked back at the device then tossing the man attending the stall a pouch of money he stole before picking up the compass then heading back to the ship. Passing by a message board, Naruto noticed several poorly drawn wanted posters that had been posted. Tearing them off, Naruto brought up an elegant cloth mask he'd stolen over his face then hurried to the ship.

"We need to leave now," he stated plainly as he showed Magilou the wanted posters.

"Aw, you drew us!" exclaimed Magilou as she ruffled Naruto's hair.

"Those are wanted posters," said the annoyed Naruto, "We need to hurry and get on our way before we're recognized."

"Relax," said Magilou as she crumpled up the posters and tossed them aside, "No one will be able to tell who we are from those things."

"You don't know how stupid people can be," muttered Naruto with concern as he watched the last of supplies being loaded onto the ship.

Hearing something that peaked his interest, Naruto went over to two men that had finished loading supplies.

"Excuse me," said Naruto as he went up to the two, "What were you two talking about?"

"Apparently, there have been rumors of people being around Uzushiogakure," explained one man, "Several people passing by the entrance to the river that leads to the village claim they've seen people there."

"Why haven't they confirmed this?" asked Naruto.

"It's in the name," said the other man, "The entrance of the river is surrounded by whirlpools as is the island the village is on."

"I see," muttered Naruto as he headed back on the ship while also dragging Magilou by one of her books.

"Hey!" she exclaimed as Naruto pulled up the loading ramp, "What do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm setting sail," said Naruto as he signaled to the small crew they had hired to man the ship to begin the process of heading out to sea.

As they pulled out, Rokurou came up from below to scan the crew they gathered.

"We sure these people are good?" he asked.

"I lied and told them they would each get paid at least 500,000 for taking us to a port in Hi no Kuni with no questions asked but that's changed right now," said Naruto as he took a hard turn to starboard.

Everyone grabbed a hold of something at the sharp turn before it suddenly became calm. Looking at a nearby map, Naruto kept them straight ahead while Magilou looked at the map.

"Are you sure we're going in the right direction?" she asked in concern.

"What could go wrong?" questioned Naruto.

 **(Twelve Hours Later)**

Naruto grunted as he picked himself up off the ground, the pieces of the ship in ruins as the storm they had sailed in had thrown them into a cliff. Looking around, Naruto saw Magilou and Rokurou sleeping around a fire as a man large man wearing red armor and an amegasa tended the flames.

"It's good to see you up," said the man calmly.

Naruto's right palm burned and looking at it, he saw a number glowing through the bandages.

 _5_

"You're a jinchūriki," said Naruto cautiously.

"Correct," said the man as he tossed a log on the fire, "My name is Han."

"Why would you help us?" questioned Naruto curiously.

"I often wonder about that myself," stated Han as he looked up at Naruto, "It's not every day you meet the Saika no Kenshu."

Sighing, Naruto took a seat by the fire then stared into the flames.

"Where are we?" asked Naruto.

"On the coast of Hi no Kuni," replied Han, "There's a constant storm around Uzu no Kuni so it would've been practically impossible to break through."

Clenching his fists, Naruto assumed his Therion form and faced Han.

"So, you became a daemon as well," stated Han as Naruto gazed at him with no emotion on his face.

"Don't take this the wrong way," said Naruto as he placed a hand on Han's shoulder, "But in order to get my revenge, you must die."

Before Han could say anything, Naruto absorbed him and staggered for a moment as the Chakra from the Gobi settled. Taking several breaths, he began tending the flames for the next couple hours until the sun began to rise. After Magilou and Rokurou woke up, the trio headed to a town when they noticed a caravan right outside the town. While Magilou went to find out what the caravan was, Naruto and Rokurou began some light sparring.

"Did Velvet really teach you all of this?" asked Rokurou curiously.

"I spent three years in a prison by myself," stated Naruto as he put his sword away.

"I have the most wonderful news!" declared Magilou as she approached, "These people were heading toward Konoha and I graciously convinced them to allow us to join them."

"Talk about good luck," said Rokurou as he put away his knives.

"There's actually one problem with that," teased Magilou, "For you two that is."

"What did you do?" questioned Naruto with a scowl.

 **(Twenty Minutes Later)**

"I hate that witch," stated Naruto as he and Rokurou sat in one of the wagons, surrounded by dozens of chickens.

"This was probably the only way we could've gotten through the gate of the village," suggested Rokurou.

"No," said Magilou from up front, "There's just wasn't enough room up here for me to lie down and take a nap if you two were to sit up here."

Naruto and Rokurou growled lightly but remained silent. As they sat among the chickens, Naruto went to the front of the cart and began combing his hair. Looking at his long hair, Naruto took out some dye, mixing it into his hair. Once they stopped for a break, Rokurou looked up front and raised an eyebrow.

"You know you can go outside and do that, right?" he called out to the boy.

"He's not using the bathroom, Rokurou," stated Magilou as she came around back, "He's changing his look a little."

"How so?" asked Rokurou as he climbed out of the wagon.

"He's dying his hair," said Magilou as Rokurou went to stretch and get some exercise.

Magilou climbed inside and went to the front of the wagon to find Naruto having a hard time with the dye. Sighing, Magilou went over and began helping him. Taking out a rag, she cleaned off his bandaged hands and began doing his hair.

"Long or short?" she asked with a smirk.

"Don't care," said Naruto emotionlessly, "Just turn it black."

"You know, Velvet hasn't stopped searching for you," informed Magilou, "She spends countless hours trying to find out where you've been since that night."

"I spent the last 3 years inside an island prison," state Naruto, "If she was smart, she would've looked outside the country."

Looking at Naruto with pity, Magilou flicked her wrist, causing a small package to float out of her bag and on Naruto's lap.

"Velvet wanted to give that to you on your birthday the year you were taken," explained Magilou as she continued to do Naruto's hair.

Seeing no way to avoid this, Naruto opened the package and looked at the sheathed knife. Pulling out the knife, Naruto examined the black blade. When the tiny runes on the blade caught his eye, he raised an eyebrow before holding it up to his mouth and muttering something under his breath. The ruins lit up dimly and Naruto narrowed his eyes.

 _"This can't be a coincidence,"_ he thought as Magilou continued to work on his hair.

 **(An Hour Later)**

"You boys can come out now," announced Magilou before withdrawing her head.

Climbing out of the wagon, Naruto, who now had manageable shoulder length black hair, and Rokurou looked around at the market they had stopped in before they were handed some boxes.

"I might have forgotten to mention that part of the agreement was that you two would help unload the wagons," ex0lained Magilou with a wink, "And while you do that, I'll go find Velvet."

"I hate her," said Naruto as he and Rokurou got to work.

As they unload the boxes, Naruto kept sneaking glances of the market he hadn't been in for three years. There were some new stalls while some weren't there anymore. Some had gotten bigger while others got smaller. He made a note to check out the stands when he had a chance but stopped dead in his tracks.

"What is it?" asked Rokurou as he followed Naruto's gaze.

Naruto was looking at a man that appeared to be in his mid to late sixties with bandages around the entire right half of his face. From the memories he got from Asuka, Naruto knew exactly who the man was. He also remembered what she had told him.

" _It was on the orders of Danzo Shimura, an advisor to the Hokage, that Itachi did what he did."_

"DANZO!" yelled Naruto as he charged the man in his Therion form.

The man turned and managed to dodge Naruto's claw in time while everybody else ran screaming.

"You…," growled Naruto as his voice trembled, "You're the reason she died!"

Charging Danzo again, Naruto swiped at the man but managed to see where he was going thanks to his Sharingan and grabbed him by the ankle with one of his tails. Throwing the old man into a stand, Naruto ran at him again before cutting him across the chest with his hind claws.

"No mercy!" declared Naruto as his he crossed his fingers and about ten Shadow Clones appeared around the cart, the tips of their tails pointed at the man, "Those who harm my loved ones shall die! Lust Bullet!"

The tips of the tails fired off countless bullets of blood red energy, creating a massive explosion. Naruto took several deep breaths before he noticed something else in the smoke. He tensed up when a black blur came flying out of the smoke and ran a sword through his shoulder.

"Zeppa!" yelled the woman as she gathered red energy in her daemon claw, "Messhougeki!"

Thrusting he claw against Naruto's chest, the woman sent him flying back through several stands as Danzo stood up behind her.

"Get out of here," ordered the woman as she walked up to the dust cloud that Naruto had made when he stopped.

When she was just a few feet away, Naruto burst from the smoke and began delivering a series of punches to the woman that were pushing her back each time.

"No one shall get in the way of my revenge!" cried Naruto as he delivered a final punch that sent the woman flying, "Pride Fist!"

The woman landed on her feet before extending her sword with her and Naruto charging each other. However, they were stopped when Rokurou got between them and blocked their claws with his sword.

"You two need to calm down," he said seriously.

"Out of my way, Rokurou," snapped the woman angrily.

"Can't really do that," said Rokurou and he pushed the both of them back then looked at the woman, "If I did that, you'd be killing the person you wanted us to bring back, Velvet."

This caused both Naruto and the woman to pause and examine each other closely. Reverting to their human forms, Naruto very slowly took a step toward the woman and reached out to her.

"H-Hahaue?" questioned Naruto before his adrenaline faded, making him start to fall.

Velvet hurried and caught Naruto as he fell into her arms. Smelling the scent coming off him, Velvet hugged the exhausted boy before noticing the weakness in her own limbs. Several ANBU arrived on the scene as Velvet stood up with Rokurou help.

"It's alright," assured Velvet, "He's not a threat."

Picking Naruto up, Velvet walked home with Rokurou at her side as Magilou watched from a distance. Entering her apartment, Velvet carried Naruto to her bedroom then fell onto it with him. Cupping his cheek, Velvet smiled weakly before passing out. Rokurou put a blanket over them then went out of the room to find Magilou sitting on the couch.

"I'm sure you sensed it again like at the prison," she said seriously.

"Yeah," said Rokurou in concern, "We're all in real danger if he were to wake up."

"You wanna stick around and keep an eye on him?" asked Magilou.

"Sure," said Rokurou as Magilou smiled.

 **(The Next Day)**

Naruto sat in the Hokage's office with Velvet at his side when the door opened. The Hokage walked in with his advisors and Velvet literally had to hold Naruto down from attacking Danzo.

"I think it might be best if Danzo wasn't here, sir," advised Velvet.

Hiruzen signaled Danzo to leave and once he was gone, Naruto glared at the Hokage.

"Why the hell is that murderer walking around?!" demanded Naruto, "He ordered Izumi and her family be killed!"

"How do you know that?" questioned Hamura, one of the Hokage's advisors.

"A Malakim named Asuka told me," snapped Naruto.

 _"Asuka?"_ thought Velvet in surprise.

"She told me that Danzo ordered the entire Uchiha clan be wiped out and you did nothing to stop it!" shouted Naruto in the Hokage's face.

Sighing, Hiruzen sat back in his chair and looked into Naruto's eyes.

"Naruto, there are some things…," began Hiruzen before Naruto's sword was pointed between his eyes.

"I spent three years in a cold, damp prison cell because of that night," spat out Naruto with pure anger on his face, "If anything, I deserve answers."

Closing his eyes, Hiruzen sighed in resignation.

"Itachi had been spying on his clan under my orders," explained Hiruzen, "He reported that his clan was planning a coup against the village."

"And so you had him kill his entire family?!" yelled Naruto

"Itachi didn't tell me until after about what Danzo had ordered him to do," said Hiruzen, "The only condition Itachi had Danzo agree to was that he spare his younger brother, Sasuke."

"But why did Izumi have to die?" demanded Naruto, "She would never do anything to the village."

"Naruto, sometimes, the people you think that are kind end up stabbing you in the back," added Velvet as Naruto looked at her, "My brother in law ended up killing my little brother in cold blood."

Naruto remained silent as he thought back to all the times Izumi would take him around the village and recalled her seeming distant from it all.

"If you want, I could place you back in the Academy," suggested Hiruzen, "You could be put back in your old class as well."

Closing his eyes, Naruto gritted his teeth with fury as his hands began to bleed.

 **(Ten Minutes Later)**

Iruka Umino was currently in the middle of a lecture when the door opened. Everyone watched with surprise as the Hokage walked in and stood at the front of the class.

"Lord Hokage!" exclaimed Iruka in surprise, "To what do we owe the pleasure of having you here?"

"One of your old classmates will be rejoining you all today," he announced to the students.

Shikamaru's interest peaked and he exchanged looks with Choji. Ino and Sakura also exchanged looks while Hinata was raised her head shyly. Kiba sniffed the air to try and find out who it was while Shino's bugs started freaking out as Sasuke just stared out the window without a care. The door opened again and Naruto walked to the Hokage's side with Velvet next to him. Keeping his eyes on the ground, Naruto took a deep breath and bowed.

"It's good to see you all again," he said with some forced emotion.

The instant Naruto spoke, everyone's attention snapped to him as he stood up, a furious fire inside his blue and violet eyes.

"No way," muttered Shikamaru in surprise.

 _"Naruto-kun,"_ thought Hinata meekly with tears in her eyes.

Naruto scanned the entire class before his eyes landed on Sasuke. Naruto's hand began to tremble and Velvet quickly ushered him out of the room. Punching a wall, Naruto's fist caused it to shatter as Velvet came up alongside her son.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"It's Sasuke," replied Naruto as he panted heavily, "I just look at him and I see Itachi."

"Why don't you go home for the rest of the day?" suggested Velvet, "I'll tell Iruka you're not feeling well and I'm taking you home."

Naruto quickly left the Academy and Velvet sighed.

"This is why I tried to keep that power sealed away," said Velvet with a sigh before heading back to the classroom.

* * *

Naruto walked through the village, keeping his gaze off of everyone as he walked out the front gate, toward a particular place. Stopping at the end of a clearing, Naruto stared at the cliff where his life had changed three years ago. The crater was now covered in plants but nevertheless, Naruto recalled the day perfectly as he walked up to the edge. Kneeling down, he traced his hand where Izumi's had held them up before she died then stood up. He headed back to the village as Rokurou and Magilou watched him from the trees.

 **(An Hour Later)**

Naruto sat at the dinner table with a blank look on his face as Velvet sat some soup in front of him. Tentatively, he took a bite but sat the spoon down into the bowl sadly.

"Let me guess," said Velvet as she sat down, "It has no taste."

"I guess we're the same now," said Naruto with a sad chuckle.

Sitting down across from Naruto, Velvet assumed her Therion form and looked at her claw.

"If you wish, I could teach you a way to feed off of the malevolence given off by the people of the village," she suggested.

"That… that would be nice," said Naruto as he stood up.

However, at that moment, everything began to spin and Naruto passed out before he hit the floor.

"Naruto!" exclaimed Velvet as she hurried over to his side in human firm.

Feeling his head, Velvet hurriedly picked him up and ran him to his room. Setting him down on his bed, she ran to get a cold compress for his forehead as his breathing began to get heavy in his sleep. Velvet quickly soaked a cloth in cold water then ran and placed it on Naruto's head. She then grabbed the money she had and ran to the pharmacy.

 **(The Next Day)**

Naruto, under Velvet's close watch, sat through his first lesson in three years but was quickly getting bored. After having eaten all those daemons and humans, he had already known about a lot of the stuff that they were getting lectures on. Instead of paying attention, he combed out his hair as a lot of students still had their eyes on him. When the bell rang to signal the start of taijutsu class, Naruto walked with Velvet to the sparring field outside. As he stood with the other students, Velvet leaned against a tree and watched as Iruka paired them off to spar with each other.

"Next, Naruto Crowe," announced Iruka.

Everyone began muttering to themselves as Naruto stepped forward and took his position on Iruka's left.

"Is that really Naruto?" whispered Sakura to Ino, "Besides dressing like a girl, he's acting totally different."

 _"Naruto-kun…"_ thought Hinata worriedly.

"And Sasuke Uchiha," announced Iruka.

Velvet tensed up but remained where she was. Naruto and Sasuke stared each other down when Iruka stepped in.

"Make the proper Spar Sign," ordered Iruka.

"Pass," said Naruto coldly, to the surprise of everyone, "In a real fight, nobody shows anyone respect until their opponent is dead."

Naruto then appeared in front of Sasuke and gave him a hard shot to the gut. Sasuke hacked and doubled over as Naruto coldly stared down at him.

"And no one is going to wait for a signal to start fighting," remarked Naruto as he crouched down to Sasuke's level, "Go cry in a corner. Why Itachi and that other man let you live is beyond me."

Sasuke headbutted Naruto in the chin and caused the blond to stagger back. Sasuke then grabbed Naruto's collar and glared into his eyes.

"What other man?!" demanded Sasuke, "How do you know about what happened?!"

"Enough, you two!" ordered Iruka.

Naruto smirked and Sasuke jumped back just in time to avoid the blade that came out of Naruto's boot.

"Not many people can catch me off guard," said Naruto as he slowly opened his eyes, revealing the Sharingan inside them, "But I'm far beyond your league."

Tensing when he saw those eyes, eyes that held the same murderous intent in them, Sasuke froze up and Naruto darted forward.

"You're not even worth the effort," said Naruto as he began flipping toward Sasuke, "I'll finish this quickly! Sloth Glaive!"

Extending the blade in his boot, Naruto barely scratched Sasuke but it was still enough to draw blood. A pyramid-like projection flew out from Sasuke and a hole opened up on the side. It then began sucking and eventually picked Sasuke up off the ground. Having seen enough, Velvet entered her Therion form and shattered the pyramid projection with her gauntlet blade. She then grabbed Sasuke and handed him off to Iruka.

"Everyone, get inside," ordered Iruka as everyone went inside besides Naruto and Velvet.

"You tried to kill him," said Velvet.

"He's needs to realize that going after Itachi is useless," spat out Naruto as he turned away, "I'll be the one to kill Itachi."

"He's just child like you, Naruto!" yelled Velvet.

"I stopped being a child the moment Izumi was killed!" yelled Naruto back to his mother as he turned around.

He grunted and grabbed his head with one hand as he fell to the ground. Velvet hurried over to Naruto and tried to figure out what was wrong with him.

"This world's pain and malevolence…" came a voice from Naruto that made Velvet turn pale, "The culmination of true reason…"

Naruto then passed out and Velvet quickly caught him. Pulling him into a deep embrace, Velvet held the boy tightly and gritted her teeth.

 _"No,"_ she thought urgently, _"I won't like you surface here."_


End file.
